Fate of the future
by rm1jagfan
Summary: The coin toss in the series finale decides the fate of Harm and Mac's future. However, another opportunity may change everything.


Disclaimer: Please bear with me as this is my second fanfiction written. I thought of this little story today at work and decided to put it to paper. Word of caution: I'm not the best of writers which is why I have only published one story to this site. However, I LOVE JAG and the recent developments with NCIS:LA has inspired me to write another fanfic piece. I am in the process of writing a third piece, however, that story has ended up being more difficult to write than I originally thought. Also, I have limited knowledge about the military customs, procedures, jobs, etc. so any mistakes or far-fetched ideas in this story are mine. I mean, I can do about as well as the writers of NCIS: LA. haha.

Anway, I was trying to figure out what job Harm would most likely do since it's been established that the writers on NCIS:LA have erred by making Harm a Captain even after 30+ years of service. My brother is in the Air Force and completed a stint as Operations Officer in Suriname. His job is similar to the one addressed here. When I did a little bit more research, I found that it's possible for Navy Captains to do the job presented in this story. In total, this job would require Harm to complete two years of training for a stint that is typically two years. After which, Harm could then retire or do something else, perhaps he may even get promoted.

This story takes place after the coin toss in the series finale. I do not own any of the characters or scripting from the show. Despite my weak written skills, I hope you still enjoy the story.

Flashback to McMurphy's Bar

_Harm: "That is if the Colonel is actually going to San Diego." _

_General: "You're not thinking about turning down the assignment?" The General asks Mac. _

_Harm: "Mac and I have an announcement to make." Slowly, I stand up reaching my hand out to Mac's arm encouraging her to stand with me. I look in the General's direction pausing only to build anticipation into what I'm about to announce. After a few seconds I encircle my arms around Mac's tiny waist and look into her eyes for a split second. From the quick look, I know that she is ready for me to inform the group of our decision to get married. _

_Harm: "We're getting married." After the congratulations and the General's crack about finally coming around to the Marines, Mac helps me lay out specifics of our deal: _

_Mac: "In either London or San Diego."_

_Harm: "And for this marriage to be successful, one of us has to resign our commission."_

_Mac: "And it's no surprise that we couldn't decide which one."_

_Harm: "So we're going to let fate decide." I smile lovingly at Mac and see her returning a similar smile. This is our confirmation to each other that we are ready for this next step in our lives and careers. Life changing decisions are often better in a company of counselors. Naturally, I would ask no other person than Bud Roberts to help Mac and I decide our career fate. _

_Harm: "Bud." Putting down his glass, Bud reaches into his pocket to retrieve the object that will decide Mac and my future. _

_Bud: "When Admiral Chegwidden retired, he gave me his JAG coin. And I thought this would be the perfect moment to use it." Bud looks at the coin, lifts it up to show the JAG group gathered together at McMurphy's. "Here is the side with heads." Bud shows one side of the coin. Flipping the coin around, Bud continues, "this is the side with tails. The bride -to-be will call it." _

_Mac sighs when she hears Bud's instruction to choose either heads or tails. This is it. In the next few seconds that coin will decide our futures. No turning back now. Mac looks at me as she's about to make her pick. _

_Mac: "Tails." She made her decision, now fate will do the rest. _

_Bud: "I've always wanted to do this at the Super Bowl." Bud makes a fist and sets the coin on top of his thumb nail ready to flick the coin up into the air. "Here it goes." _

_Mac and I watch the coin turn over in the air as it ascends higher. At a certain point, the coin start to descend still flipping around in the air. Mac and I follow the coin's rotation until the coin hits the ground. Anxiously Bud, Mac and I look down at the coin now laying flat on the ground. We look so quickly that our heads almost hit each other in the process. The rest of the group from JAG can't wait to hear the announcement of the winner. Before realizing which side of the coin is facing up, Bud reaches down to pick up the object of everybody's attention. He places it between his fingers like he did before in preparation to flick the coin and announces: _

_Bud: "Tails. It's tails." Simultaneously showing us the coin first then showing the rest of the group. _

Present day 10 months later.

Tails. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Mac won the coin toss. Afterall, I won the other coin tosses in the past. I remember flipping a coin when Mac and I both called 'top bunk' as we were preparing to go aboard a submarine. Yet another time, we were having dinner in my apartment the night before we were to board a ship for a military tribunal. We flipped a coin to decide lead counsel. Once again, Mac called 'tails' and lost.

This time, however, tails did not fail her. She won the toss, and the magnitude of the toss was big and life-altering. But we had an agreement and I have nobody else to blame except myself. I was the genius who decided to let fate decide our futures and came up with the brilliant idea of the coin toss. However, one day fate would intervene again in a different way. As I was driving into JAG to hand in my resignation, I received a phone call from the General. During the call, the General had presented me with another opportunity which would allow me to change jobs in the Navy and still be able to live in California-which would be ideal after Mac and I are married. The General asked if I would be interested in position as an Attache. An attache works on a US embassy in a foreign country acting as a liaison between the Navy and the host nation's corresponding services. Usually the assignment as an attache lasts two years after completing the necessary training. If interested, the General said I would undergo a competitive process prior to being selected to the program. First, I would be required to take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery Test. The results of the test would indicate my aptitude in learning a foreign language. Second, I would then go through a rigorous interview process which is highly selective. If I was the officer chosen for the program, I would then be required to attend two-year language and operations training at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterrey, California

When the General told me about the job, I initially thought it'd be a great position for Mac since she is already fluent in both Farsi and Russian. But Mac already agreed to her JAG position in San Diego. She was happy with the new job and I was happy for her. However, when I heard the General say that I had the opportunity to train at the Naval school in California, I decided to consider the position. Afterall, I wouldn't have to resign from the Navy. Most importantly, I'd be stationed with Mac in California. Granted, San Diego and Monterrey are over 400 miles apart, but better 400 miles apart than half-way around the world.

The next day, I discussed this opportunity with Mac. I didn't know how receptive Mac would be to the idea. Afterall, our deal with the coin toss meant one of us would have to resign our commission to make our marriage work. However, being the great fiance that she is, Mac was very supportive of the opportunity. Even though she understood the difficulties for newlyweds to live 400 miles apart, she also knew that deep down I did not want to resign my commission. Besides if this opportunity worked out, Mac said she may be ready to retire from the Marine Corp after my two years of training anyway as she may want to enjoy the life of being a wife. Also if the opportunity did not work out, then I'd uphold my end of the original deal and resign my commission from the Navy and live happily with Mac in San Diego.

So, here I am ten months after the coin toss ready to take the language aptitude test. It's been a roller coaster of preparation these past ten months. In between settling down in San Diego and planning for the wedding, Mac somehow still managed to help me study for the language aptitude test. Even though we prepared as well as we could for this test, we both realize that this opportunity is not guaranteed. This time around, our future will not be decided by the fate of a coin toss. It's up to me to do my best, than let fate do the rest.


End file.
